Black with creamy/green mottled centre with a striped border, I think this button is a very effective design and would look smart on a plain fabric. It is some type of plastic and has a metal loop shank.
PLASTIC BUTTON
LITHOGRAPH BUTTONS
MEN’S WAISTCOAT BUTTONS :
These small buttons show ladies faces and would be actresses of the time. They come from the late 1890’s or early 1900’s period and were a popular type of button. Similar types of buttons had sporting subjects or dogs on them. They have a metal loop shank and were attached with a metal slip pin.
BONE BUTTONS
These buttons are modern and they have a certain charm about them. They have all been carved and are realistic shapes. I think they may come from Nepal or somewhere in that area. They may not be very practical but are nice to look at.
STUDIO BUTTONS
BY YASMIN SILVAN – ISRAEL
What lovely bright buttons these are. They are made of glass and the modern designs are great. I really love glass and all the lovely colours and effects that the glassmakers achieve. It is fascinating to watch them. I would have great fun if they let me loose is a studio!!!
METAL PICTURE BUTTONS
We have three metal picture buttons displayed here.
No. 1 Italian Villa No. 2 Bamboo Princess No. 3 Charter Oak Tree
These are all lovely examples of Picture buttons with lots of detail. Two have nice decorative borders to compliment the scenes while the Bamboo Princess is a plainer button. They would be late 1890’s or early 1900’s buttons.
PASSEMENTERIE BUTTONS
Here we have a small group of Passementerie buttons which have been made with coloured thread worked over a button mould (probably wooden) in a decorative pattern. The different colours give a different effect; the thread being quite fine. I have shown one button in detail so you can appreciated the workmanship.
N.Z. DEER ANTLER BUTTONS
On their original card, these buttons are handcrafted.
I think I may have got them from an opp shop, certainly not from New Zealand when I was there in 1964. I hadn’t thought of buttons back then.
BLACK GLASS BUTTON
This picture button depicts a hunter and his hounds hunting deer.
It is made of moulded black glass.
NEEDLE BOOKS
These needle books were a very fancy way of storing different size needles and the pictures on them depict the fashion and hairstyles of their day. Nowadays they are expensive to buy and not so easy to find.
“GREEN BAG” PIN CUSHION
This is a Victorian pin cushion (with gold thread stitching and beadwork) in the form of a handbag. It opens up with the fancy gold clasp to reveal the velvet pin cushion inside. I was really taken with it when I saw it at the Buttonfest in Melbourne a few years ago. I have not seen another anything like it.